Panoramic Arizona views from Fletcher Peak in the Spring Mountains

As the sixth-highest point in Nevada, Fletcher Peak offers some great views from the top – and is one of the easiest mountain hikes in the Spring Mountains. It’s also (as with the other peaks of the Spring Mountains) a good option to avoid the hot weather of Las Vegas, which is less than an hour away. Even on a weekday, the parking lot on Deer Creek Road is fairly full. I’m not the only hiker today on the Charleston Peak North Trail, which continues beyond Fletcher Peak to the top of the tallest mountain in Nevada.

Although the trail goes through Ponderosa and Pinyon Pine forest, most of the trail is fairly exposed to the sun. There are no views for about the first mile, until you get a glimpse of Angel Peak and the Angel Peak Radar Station to the east. Established in 1952 during the Cold War, the Angel Peak Radar Station now functions as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Joint Surveillance System (JSS) radar facility.

As the Charleston Peak North Trail continues to ascend, there are views towards the La Madre Mountains Wilderness, and the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (the  largest refuge in the lower 48 States) to the south-east and over the vast expanse of desert to the north of Vegas.

The trail reaches a large clearing, which offers a view of the north-western end of Mummy Mountain – which is a much more challenging hike – and the town of Pahrump to the east.

A series of switch-backs means the next ascent is fairly gentle, despite the steep valley that the trail zig-zags up as it heads towards the top of the ridge. A very small patch of snow next to the trail is a visual reminder of the cooler mountain temperatures – in Vegas the temperature reached a daytime high of 87°F / 30.5°C, compared to 65°F / 18°C here.

From the top of the ridge, the trail now descends gently: straight ahead is the south-eastern end of Mummy Mountain (the second-highest peak in the Spring Mountains, the top of Mummy Mountain is almost a mile long.)

Mummy Mountain remains a constant sight, as the Charleston Peak North Trail reaches the junction with the Fletcher Peak trail. The trails are not signposted; if you turn right instead of left, you’ll end up on top of Mount Charleston – after another 13 miles (21km)!

By comparison, the top of Fletcher Peak, which is finally visible, is under a mile (1.3km) away. The Fletcher Peak trail continues to descend to a saddle below the creek, before winding its way up to to the Fletcher Peak summit. The Ponderosa and Pinyon Pines have now been replaced by Bristlecone Pines, one the longest-lived life forms on Earth (the oldest of this species is over 4,800 years old).

Although there are some great views along most of the trail, the top of Fletcher Peak at 10,319 feet / 3,145 metres elevation offers a panoramic vista.

Looking east is Mount Charleston, the highest mountain in the Spring Mountains and eighth-highest in Nevada, which is on the right hand side of a long, snow-dusted ridge.

On the far left of the ridge is Griffith Peak. (The ascent of Charleston Peak via the South Loop passes behind Griffith Peak before following the top of the ridge.)

Almost directly below Griffith Peak is Cathedral Rock, a prominent limestone peak.

To the north looking over the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and Mount Irish Wilderness is the Sheep Range, Gass Peak – and the Nevada Test Site, a huge government reservation which established in 1950 and served as the primary location for over 1,000 US nuclear weapons tests between 1951 and 1992.

The return route from the top of Fletcher Peak is a slight variation from the ascent; just before the series of switchbacks, I veer onto a faint trail that follows a ridge over a minor, unnamed peak. It offers some nice views, including Fletcher Peak, but is not really worth the detour.

Once I reach the large plateau below the switchbacks, I turn left onto the Wildhorse Canyon trail, which provides an alternate route back down to Deer Creek Road.

It’s a slightly rougher trail, with a few fallen trees to negotiate. After about 0.6 miles (1km), the trail reaches a junction: one trail follows Wildhorse Ridge, and the other follows Wildhorse Canyon. I take the canyon route, which is more of a wide gully than a canyon, but offers bit more shade than taking the ridge down (conversely, the ridge route offers better views). Just after the junction, the trail passes a small spring next which sustains a small meadow.

It’s taken me just over three hours for the return trip, making it a much easier and shorter hike than Mummy Mountain or Charleston Peak, but with equally impressive views.

Getting to Fletcher Peak

The trail to Fletcher Peak starts from the North Loop Trailhead along Deer Creek Road (the trail continues onto Charleston Peak – a much longer 21miles / 33.5km return hike). It’s about an hour’s drive from Las Vegas via Route 95 North and then either Route 157 (Kyle Canyon Road) or Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road) andf finally Route 158 (Deer Creek Road). Along the road is a small-ish parking lot; if it’s full there is a lot more parking a few hundred yards further at the Wild Horse Canyon Trailhead.